Dressing table for infants&#39; bathing devices



Get. 20, 1942. Q E E 2,299,579

DRESSING TABLE FOR INFANTS BATHING DEVICES Filed NOV. 12, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. BE/VJlQ/ l/N f7 /1 E/V/YED Y ATTORNEYS Oct. 20, 1942. B, H, KENNEDY 2,299,579

DRESSING TABLE FOR INFANTS BATHING DEVICES Filed NOV. 12, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. flE/vJAm/v H. KENNEDY A TTORNEYS Patented Oct. 20, 1942 DRESSING, TABLE FOR INFANTS BATHING DEVICES Benjamin H. Kennedy, Pittsford, 'N. Y. Application November 12, 1941, Serial No. 418,757

7 Claims.

This invention relates to infants bathing devices of the type which includes a bathtub and support therefor together with a dressing table movable from an active position overlying the tub to an inactive out-of-the-way position extending upwardly from the rear of the support and the present invention is directed more particularly to an improvement in the dressing table and the manner in which the same is movable to and from active and inactive positions.

The invention is primarily concerned with a dressing table which is foldable transversely on a longitudinal line intermediate the side edges thereof to dispose the same in an upstanding outof-the-way position adjacent the rear of the support to uncover and permit use of the tub and whereby said table is located within convenient reach for movement to active position overlying the tub.

More particularly the invention comprehends a dressing table having a panel of flexible material and a frame pivoted to the support for movement of the table from an active position overlying the tub to an inactive out-of-the-way position at the rear of the support and which frame is foldable upon itself to dispose the 'forward portion thereof in convenient reach when the table is moved to the out-of-the-way position, together with means for automatically effecting the folding and movement of the table to the inactive position whein the table is released from the active position.

The invention further includes a dressing table of the indicated charatcer which comprises a panel of flexible sheet material and a frame having longitudinal side rails to which the opposite sides of the panel are anchored and a pair of end rails disposed below thepanel and connected to the side rails at the opposite ends thereof and which end rails each includes front and rear sections hingedly connected together to permit of the folding of the table when the same is swung to the out-of-the-way position at the rear of the support and the front section of each of said end rails being provided with means adapted to engage with the support for holding the table in active position with the front and rear sections of the end rails in substantially aligned relation.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, reference is now made to the following specification and the accompanying drawings in which there is illustrated the preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an infants bathing device provided with a dressing table constructed in accordance with the invention and illustratin the table in its active position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the bathing device with the tub illustrated in broken lines and illustrating the dressing table in active position.

Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the dressing table in inactive position,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating a modified form of the invention with the dressing table in active position.

Fig. 5 is a similar view illustrating the modified formof dressing table in its inactive position.

Referring to the drawings by characters ofreference, the infants bathing device is of the type which includes a flexible bathtub A and a collapsible support B consisting of front and rear leg members In and H at each end which are respectively connected together by longitudinally extendingfront and rear rods I 2 and I 3 to which the opposite longitudinal side edges of the bathtub A'are secured. The legs l0 and I l are pivotally connected together intermediate their length for swinging movement thereof to collapse the support and bathtub from a set-up expanded position to a collapsed compactly folded arrangement.

The'bathing device also includes a dressing table C which is movable from a horizontal position upon the support in overlying relation with the tub to an inactive out-of-the-way position at the rear thereof and in order to render the dressing table readily accessible and in convenient reach for movement thereof from the outof-the-way position to the active position upon the support, the table is pivotally connected with the support at the rear and is transversely foldable so that the forward portion of the dressing table depends from the upper edge of the rear portion thereof when the same is swung on the pivotal. connection to the out-of-the-wayposition.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and .3 of the drawings, the dressing table includes a flexible panel l5 and a frame consisting of opposite end rails each designated generally .by the reference character 16' and longitudinally extending side rails l1 and [8 to which the opposite side edges of the panel are secured. The end rails l6 each consists of front and rear sections l9 and 20 which are hingedly connected together by a transverse pivot 2|, the rear section 20 being provided with a stop lug 22 projecting forwardly of the pivot 2i and adapted to extend laterally over the front section l9 to prevent downward breaking of the sections at the hinge joint 2| while permitting of upward folding of the sections. The said rails It are disposed below the plane of the flexible panel l5 when the dressing table is in its active position upon the support, the forward terminals of the front sections i9 each bein bent downwardly and thence upwardly to provide a resilient U-shaped offset portion 23 with the upper extremity 24 thereof secured to the longitudinal front rail H. The rear sections of the end rails extend beneath the rear longitudinal bar l3 of the support with the rear terminals thereof having arcuate portions 25 extending partially around and thence upwardly above the rod I3 with its upper extremity 26 secured to the rear rail ll of the dressing table.

In order to pivotally connect the table for swinging movement on a fulcrum concentric with the rear rod l3 of the support, each rear leg II is provided with a bracket 21 having an inwardly directed arcuate bearing lug 28, the upper concave face of which lug is substantially concentric with the periphery of the rod 13. The lug 21 is spaced from the rod l3 a distance to slidably receive the arcuate portion 25 of the rear section 20 of the end rail l6. Under this construction and arrangement the table is mounted on the support for pivotal swinging movement upwardly from a horizontal active position overlying the tub with the offset portion'23 resiliently engaging the front rod l2 of the support for releasably retaining the table in the active position. For the purpose of automatically effecting the upward swinging movement of the dressing table'to the inactive position shown in Fig. 3, torsion springs 29 are provided which are carried by the rod l3 of the support with one end of each of the springs anchored thereto and the other ends thereof respectively engaging the rear sections 20 of the end rails 16 so as to exert an upward pressure on the rear section 20 of each end rail to effect upward swinging of the table when the front sections are released from engagement with the longitudinal rod H of the support.

In order to support the flexible panel [5 in an upwardly folded condition when the dressing table is in the inactive position, a longitudinally extending rod 30 is provided which is secured at its opposite ends to the rear sections 20 of the end rails I6 adjacent the hinge connection 2!. When the dressing table C is folded upon itself and moved to the inactive position under the influence of the torsion springs 29, it contacts with the usual upstanding screen guard D carried by the rear legs of the support so that the dressing table is slightly moved past dead center and is thus retained against accidental or unintentional forward movement. When it is desired to use the dressing table, the lower edge of the forward portion which is provided with a handle 3| is disposed within convenient reach to be grasped for the purpose of unfolding and swinging the dressing table to the active position where the resilient U-shaped offset portions 23 are engaged with the front longitudinal bar l2 of the support. This disposes the front and rear sections l9 and 20 of the end rails I6 substantially in alignment with the stop lugs 22 in engagement with the front sections I9.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 75

4 and 5 of the drawings, the dressing table is substantially identical with that of the previous form with the exception that the rear section 20 of each end rail I6 is provided with an upstanding angular rear terminal which is disposed in front of the rear longitudinal bar [3 of the support with the upper extremity thereof secured to the rear rail l8 of the dressing table frame. A rearwardly directed hinge lug 36 is secured to each of the terminals 35 and is pivotally attached to the rear leg H by a fulcrum pin 31. In this instance, the coiled portion of the torsion spring 29 surrounds the fulcrum pin 31 with one end anchored to the rear leg of the support and the opposite end engaging the rear section 29 of the end rail. Under this construction and arrangement, the dressing table when released from its active position upon the support is automatically swung to the inactive folded position at the rear thereof and whereby the forward portion of the dressing table is in convenient reach for drawing the same forwardly to the active position.

What is claimed is:

1. In an infants folding bathing device of the type which includes a tub and a support therefor, a dressing table comprising a panel of flexible sheet material and a frame having longitudinal side rails to which the opposite sides of the panel are anchored and a pair of end rails connecting the side rails at the opposite ends thereof, a pivotal connection between one terminal of each end rail and the support and each end rail including a pair of sections pivotally connected together for movement from an extended aligned relation for stretching and supporting the flexible panel in an active position adapted to overlie the tub to an upstanding folded relation adjacent the rear of the support.

2. In an infants bathing device of the type which includes a tub and a support therefor, a dressing table including a frame pivotally connected to the support for movement of the table from an active position thereupon in overlying relation with the tub to an inactive upwardly projecting out-of-the-way position at the rear of the support, said frame including rails at the opposite ends thereof each composed of a front section and a rear section hingedly connected together for folding the table substantially medially thereof with the forward portion of the dressing table depending from the upper edge of the rear portion thereof when the same is moved to the inactive position so that the forward portion is disposed within convenient reach for movement of the dressing table to the active position.

3. In an infants bathing device of the type which includes a tub and a support therefor, a dressing table including a frame pivotally connected to the support for movement of the table from an active position thereupon in overlying relation with the tub to an inactive upwardly projecting out-of-the-way position at the rear of the support, said frame including rails at the opposite ends thereof each composed of a front section and a rear section hingedly connected together for folding the table substantia1ly medially thereof with the forward portion of the dressing table depending from the upper edge of the rear portion thereof when the same is moved to the inactive position so that the forward portion is disposed within convenient reach for movement of the dressing table to the active position, the front sections of each of said rails having means adapted to engage with the support for holding the table in active position.

4. In an infants bathing device of the type which includes a tub and a support therefor, a dressing table including a frame pivotally connected to the support for movement of the table from an active position thereupon in overlying relation with the tub to an inactive upwardly projecting out-of-the-way position at the rear of the support, said frame including rails at the opposite ends thereof each composed of a front section and a rear section hingedly connected together for folding the table substantially medially thereof with the forward portion of the dressing table depending from the upper edge of the rear portion thereof when the same is moved to the inactive position so that the forward portion is disposed within convenient reach for movement of the dressing table to the active position, and means carried by the support for exerting pressure on the rear sections of the rails for automatically moving the table to the inactive folded position.

5. In an infants bathing device of the type which includes a tub and a support therefor, a dressing table including a frame pivotally connected to the support for movement of the table from an active position thereupon in overlying relation with the tub to an inactive upwardly projecting out-of-the-way position at the rear of the support, said frame including rails at the opposite ends thereof each composed of a front section and a rear section hingedly connected together for folding the tab-1e substantially me dially thereof with the forward portion of the dressing table depending from the upper edge of the rear portion thereof when the same is moved to the inactive position so that the for holding the table in active position, and means carried by the support for exerting pressure on the rear sections of the rails for automatically moving the table to the inactive folded position when the same is released from the active position.

6. In an infants bathing device of the type which includes a bathtub support, a transversely foldable dressing table mounted upon the tub support and hingedly connected thereto at the rear thereof for movement independently of the support from an opened active position disposed horizontally upon the support to an upstanding inactive folded position at the rear of the support, means for releasably locking said dressing table in its opened active horizontal position, and means carried by the support at the rear thereof and engaging said dressing table for automatically effecting movement of said table to the inactive position when released.

7. In an infants bathing device of the type which includes a tub and a support therefor, a dressing table including a frame pivotally connected to the support for movement of the table from an active position thereupon in overlying relation with the tub to an inactive upwardly projecting out-of-the-way position at the rear of the support, said frame including rails at the opposite ends thereof each composed of a front section and a rear section hingedly connected together for folding the table substantially medially thereof with the forward portion of the dressing table depending from the upper edge of the rear portion thereof when the same is moved to the inactive position so that the forward portion is disposed Within convenient reach for movement of the dressing table to the active position, and torsion springs carried by the support and engaging the rear sections of the rails for automatically moving the table on its pivotal connection to the inactive position.

BENJAMIN H. KENNEDY. 

